When Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on the trade of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets during the NBA Draft for a package of players and future draft picks, I was totally on board with a plan to rebuild quickly following a period of sustained championship contention. Coming off trading Doc Rivers to the Clippers, it was time for the Celtics to lose a ton of games and then cash in on their draft picks to quickly turn back into a contender.
With college stars like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Marcus Smart, and Julius Randle expected to be available in the 2014 Draft, it seemed like a good plan to suffer through a bad season to be in position to add a young impact player as part of a rebuilding process that would, hopefully, lead to the 18th banner for the Garden rafters.
The hiring of Brad Stevens to replace Rivers as coach seemed to confirm this plan. Signed to a six-year contract, the former Butler coach seemed ideal to develop young players and prepare the franchise for its next run of championship success.
But here's the speed bump. The Celtics are winning.
Stevens has been better than expected, and as an avid Butler follower the past few years I have to admit my expectations were high from the start. He utilizes every ounce of ability on his roster and the team has responded with a lead in the Atlantic Division.
That's right. The nucleus of Jared Sullinger, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jordan Crawford, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Bass, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries, Kelly Olynyk, and Vitor Faverani are currently at the top of the Atlantic.
Now let's not get too excited. The Atlantic is a terrible division and although the Celtics sit at the top, they are still below .500 with a 12-14 record. However, the Eastern Conference is very thin and with Dwayne Wade's knee problems and Miami's overall lack of depth there is hope for a team like the Celtics to make a run at the Conference Finals.
The Conference Finals may be unlikely but they're not a total long shot either. The Heat have serious issues and I'm curious how long LeBron James can cover up those problems. The Pacers are strong but are by no means unbeatable. The Hawks? Eh. The Bulls? Let me know when Derrick Rose is 100% healthy.
The question facing Ainge and the Celtics brass is whether or not they believe being on the outskirts of contention is the best plan for the franchise now and for the future. With the stink of the 1996-1997 season - and their failure to draft Tim Duncan - still lingering on Causeway Street, I believe that Ainge wants to seize this opportunity to win now.
That brings me to Omer Asik. Currently with the Rockets, Asik is likely to be traded any day now and the Celtics are considered a favorite to land the defensive minded 7-footer from Turkey. Adding a presence like Asik - who averaged 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game a year ago - would imediately improve the Celtics, as long as they don't trade too much to acquire him.
Asik's price tage is not expected to be through the roof. He's due $15-million next year (which the Celtics can easily absorb under the salary cap) and with Dwight Howard now taking up the defender/rebounder role in Houston, the Rockets are not trading from a position of strength.
Jeff Green's name has been mentioned in a few rumors. I like Green but would not make him untouchable. When Rajon Rondo returns from his ACL injury, Green will have less opportunities to handle the ball and will likely become less effective. Brandon Bass, who would be a nice complement to Howard in Houston (as he was once upon a time in Orlando), would be worth giving up as well. The Celtics also have a bounty of first round picks in the next few drafts so they could also use one of them to add Asik.
Let me throw out this scenario. The Celtics deal Green to Cleveland and a first round pick to Houston while the Cavs send Anderson Varejao to Houston with Asik coming back to Boston.
That would give Stevens a front court rotation of Asik, Sullinger, Bass, Olynyk, Humphries, and Faverani with a back court rotation of Rondo (once he returns), Bradley, Crawford, Lee, and Wallace.
NBA Champions? No way, not in your wildest dreams.
Team capable of winning one or two rounds in the playoffs? Certainly.
I'm pulling for this team to be a contender. Let's see how it plays out and, if you look closely, that's still a young rotation with plenty of promise for the future.
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